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Man Accused Of Shooting Wife, Killing Doctor To Stand Trial

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - The man accused of shooting his wife and two neighbors, one of whom was killed, will go on trial after a judge determined there was enough evidence in a preliminary hearing on Friday.

Kevin Lyons, 46, was deemed competent to stand trial, despite his outbursts in court and vocal opposition to his public defenders. He appeared for a preliminary hearing in Arapahoe County Court on Friday where a judge decided there was enough evidence to proceed to a trial.

kevin lyons
Kevin Lyons (credit: Arapahoe County)

Lyons is facing 12 felony counts, including one count of first degree murder after deliberation. He is accused of shooting and killing a beloved doctor in his Centennial neighborhood, Kenneth Atkinson, as well as shooting and wounding two women, one of them his wife.

Ken Atkinson
Ken Atkinson (credit: CBS)

In court, 911 calls from the victims were played, including Atkinson. Also in court, the body camera video from one of the first officers on scene was played.

The shooting happened April 4 in Lyons' front yard. Atkinson ran out of his home to stop Lyons from shooting his wife but was shot in the head and died. The second woman, Laurie Juergens, was shot in the face while trying to help.

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A detective testified that Lyons' wife told officers that her husband "just snapped" on the day of the shooting. The couple had been home alone.

Liz Lyons said her husband had been acting weird for several days, even irrational at times. She suggested that he go to the hospital.

Liz also told the court she didn't know her husband had a gun. She told police that Kevin came at her, had the gun and just started shooting at her.

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That's when she went outside and encountered her two neighbors who tried to help.

At the time of his arrest, Lyons allegedly asked an officer, "Are you going to vote for Donald Trump?"

After his arrest, Lyons was left alone in an interview room where he was seen chanting and dancing. He tried numerous times to hug officers and told them he loved them.

Lyons also stated several times that if officers contacted John and Janet Elway, it would clear everything up.

The defense asked a detective on this case about the suspect's medical history. The detective testified that Liz Lyons life told them her husband has a serious car accident in 2014. Since that car accident, he had been suffering with headaches, needing to take naps and becoming more detached.

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The judge also heard from Arapahoe County Sheriff Deputy Tim Klisnck, who got emotional on the stand recalling that morning.

He was one of the first officers to approach the suspect and says Lyons "Looked at me dead in the eye, shooting at my skull."

Klisnck says Lyons was pointing a gun and began firing at him and the other officer before he surrendered and was taken into custody.

Lyons will return to court on Sept. 23 for an arraignment.

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